Women: Like Men, But Cheaper?

Posted: 16/11/2015 by
Cox Purtell

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string(4007) "Mention the gender pay gap. Cue a variety of reactions – passionate debate, eye rolls, frustration, and disinterest. It’s a hot topic these days, so hello bandwagon, room for another?
Women in Hollywood are speaking out against their dramatically differing salaries compared to their male counterparts. Just over a year ago, Emma Watson had us rejoicing when she stood as Goodwill Ambassador for UN Women and extended an invitation to men to fight with us for equality.
That’s all very positive, but I’m no movie star and I’m pretty sure this blog won’t make waves in Hollywood. So what does it all mean to regular you and me?
Much closer to home, the Australian Government and the Workplace Gender Equality Agency released statistics in September of this year, stating that the full time gender pay gap is sitting at 17.9%. The salaries of the two genders effectively equal each other when there are still 65 days remaining in the year, so from September 4th of this year, we may as well have been working for free in comparison!
Obviously not a great statistic. But how is that felt by the people? And what is actually being measured here?

Does this reflect women and men working in the same roles?

How do industry trends affect these results?

Is age a factor?

How aware are organisations of their own stats?

How do we fare in terms of senior and executive level positions?

Delving into more detailed research paints the picture a little more clearly.

A Mercer research report notes that men with the same performance rating as women in the same role receive up to 35% more in terms of bonus than women.

Women tend to dominate industries such as retail and hospitality, where salaries are generally lower while men hold more positions in construction and engineering.

The average gap generally increases with age, particularly from the late 20s onwards.

76% of agency reporting organisations did not conduct a gender gap analysis in 2014.

Men continue to hold more higher level positions than women across the board.

This is just the tip of the iceberg. I don’t pretend to be an expert in any way on the topic, merely another professional woman who cares about this issue. (Yes, I would happily call myself a feminist – no, that doesn’t translate as man-hater, do some research!)
To my knowledge, I have never been underpaid for the same position a male colleague of similar experience was also doing, not that I ever investigated it. But why should I have to? Perhaps because it seems there is an imbalance industry wide, and going back to Emma Watson; “If not me, who? If not now, when?”
Much is being said, but even as I write them I know that words alone are futile. The statistics are here, we have the knowledge, and we know where we want to be. So how do we get there? In 2015, 1 in 4 agency reporting organisations carried out a gender pay gap analysis. Of those, 1 in 2 took action. More companies need to look inwards. Analyse, assess, discuss, plan and DO.
I would love to hear your thoughts on this – do you think the pay gap really exists or like some, think it’s all a myth? Do you think womens choices have contributed to these results? How do you think companies can improve the situation?"
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That’s all very positive, but I’m no movie star and I’m pretty sure this blog won’t make waves in Hollywood. So what does it all mean to regular you and me?

Much closer to home, the Australian Government and the Workplace Gender Equality Agency released statistics in September of this year, stating that the full time gender pay gap is sitting at 17.9%. The salaries of the two genders effectively equal each other when there are still 65 days remaining in the year, so from September 4th of this year, we may as well have been working for free in comparison!

Obviously not a great statistic. But how is that felt by the people? And what is actually being measured here?

Does this reflect women and men working in the same roles?

How do industry trends affect these results?

Is age a factor?

How aware are organisations of their own stats?

How do we fare in terms of senior and executive level positions?

Delving into more detailed research paints the picture a little more clearly.

A Mercer research report notes that men with the same performance rating as women in the same role receive up to 35% more in terms of bonus than women.

Women tend to dominate industries such as retail and hospitality, where salaries are generally lower while men hold more positions in construction and engineering.

The average gap generally increases with age, particularly from the late 20s onwards.

76% of agency reporting organisations did not conduct a gender gap analysis in 2014.

Men continue to hold more higher level positions than women across the board.

This is just the tip of the iceberg. I don’t pretend to be an expert in any way on the topic, merely another professional woman who cares about this issue. (Yes, I would happily call myself a feminist – no, that doesn’t translate as man-hater, do some research!)

To my knowledge, I have never been underpaid for the same position a male colleague of similar experience was also doing, not that I ever investigated it. But why should I have to? Perhaps because it seems there is an imbalance industry wide, and going back to Emma Watson; “If not me, who? If not now, when?”

Much is being said, but even as I write them I know that words alone are futile. The statistics are here, we have the knowledge, and we know where we want to be. So how do we get there? In 2015, 1 in 4 agency reporting organisations carried out a gender pay gap analysis. Of those, 1 in 2 took action. More companies need to look inwards. Analyse, assess, discuss, plan and DO.

I would love to hear your thoughts on this – do you think the pay gap really exists or like some, think it’s all a myth? Do you think womens choices have contributed to these results? How do you think companies can improve the situation?

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2 thoughts on “Women: Like Men, But Cheaper?”

What a fantastic post. I agree that the onus is on businesses to bridge the gap internally. It doesn’t make sense that this is still an issue that’s being contended; pay equal amounts, it’s a no-brainer.

Thanks Kyle! It’s quite shocking that it’s still something we are chasing, as you say it should simply be a given. We need companies to ensure that 2016 brings with it a change to their approach of this topic.